Real leadership is hard to find but can be cultivated to maturity over time. From the time of Socrates, great philosophers and playwrights have emphasized the importance of respectable leadership. The outstanding important factor is knowledge of self. Despite this knowledge, leadership has been marred with ills over the years. Most leaders tend to think more of self than of the followers, who are the majority. There are many unethical behaviors in almost every institution. Corruption has taken root, and justice is denied to those who deserve. The leadership structure is getting rotten day by day, an only the adopting and incorporation of authentic leadership will be the rescue. “A real leader is always motivated to direct his team in any given situation knowing well that his followers trust him” (Addison 2016).
According to Bonnie, Covelli, and Iyana Mason (2017), authentic leadership entails knowing and being true to oneself. This kind of understanding means that the leader knows the purpose of being in the given position and has the required passion for work. He or she has strong values and serves the people from the heart. Own experiences and those of others are learning tools for authentic leaders. The authentic leadership theory resembles the transformational, ethical, servant leadership, and charismatic theories. All these approaches describe leadership that is not self-centered but focused on the people. By applying different styles, authentic leaders utilize skills and behaviors that are appropriate for specific situations. Every authentic leader has the responsibility to develop oneself professionally.
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There are four fundamental aspects of authentic leadership according to Bruce J. Avolio and William L. Gardner. This includes self-consciousness, self-regulation, balanced dispensation, and interpersonal transparency (Avolio & Gardner 2005). These elements need to be practiced and not only theorized. It is only in practice that the effectiveness of a leader can be measured. The followers can question their leadership and determine if it works to the people’s satisfaction.
In practice, the essential elements are measured through life story, prompts, personal characteristics, and action statements. Knowing one’s background is very critical in shaping authentic leadership. It is through life’s experiences mainly the negative and positive events that shape the kind of leader one becomes. Unexpected prompts help to test a leader. The way they handle the situation at the time it presents itself is very important for the development of authentic leadership skills. Personal traits such as the ability to control emotions and relate well others, help an authentic leader to grow. Authentic followers easily listen to a leader who is humane and caring. Any leader is aspiring to be authentic needs to have an action plan on how to run affairs and achieve authenticity. He or she has to be mission-oriented and focus towards the set actions.
Real leadership is only experienced when the right people are in power. The authentic leadership theory defines the ideal characteristics of real leadership. Authentic leaders will always be real to self and others. They have personal convictions and will use own experiences and those of others to learn. Personal life stories, experiences, and triggers vary from one leader to the other but all help in shaping an authentic leadership. Real leaders will use distinct fit approaches in handling situations but all point to opposite results. It is indisputable that any authentic leader will have authentic followers. Corruption and other scandals would be unheard of if the society cultivated and maintained authentic leaders.
References
Addison, J. 2016. Real Leadership: 9 Simple Practices for Leading and Living with Purpose. McGraw Hill Professional.
Avolio, B.J. & Gardner, W.L. 2005. Authentic Leadership Development: Getting to the Root of Positive Forms of Leadership. The Leadership Quarterly 16 (2005) 315–338. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE, United States.
Covelli, B.J. & Mason, I. 2017. Linking Theory To Practice: Authentic
Leadership. Academy of Strategic Management Journal. University of St. Francis
